Using Your Library via Goodreads and Amazon

May 24, 2016

Did you know there were multiple ways to connect to your library when using Goodreads? How about Amazon? These are ways to skip the middle step of opening a new browser and searching the catalog after having already found something in Goodreads or Amazon that you might be interested in reading.

Chrome Library Extension

Library Extension, which you can download and install in Google Chrome, is just what it says! Once you download it for free from the Chrome Web Store, you can set it to search Pima County Public Library (and other library systems they might have). From there, as long as you are using the Chrome browser on a computer, anytime you find a book (sadly it’s only for books, not movies or music), you can see if the book you’re looking at is available at the library. And you can use it on both Amazon and Goodreads!

The extension will show above the pricing on Amazon.The extension will show below the book information in Goodreads.

The extension will show you how many copies are available, and you can click buttons to directly borrow or place a hold for a book. It will even tell you the different kinds of books available!

(Minor setback: They only have access to physical and Overdrive books at the moment, so you should still check if something is available on OneClick Digital.)

Goodreads Book Links

If you are not a Chrome user, you can still see if books are available at the library via the Book Links tab in Goodreads.

In your Profile in Goodreads, click “edit profile” next to your profile name, and then select Book Links in the row on the top. Once there, there should be a list of links (default to popular order) on the right side. If you change it to alphabetical, you should be able to navigate to Pima County Public Library pretty easily. Click “add” next to it, and it will be added to your list! Now, when you go to a book’s page in Goodreads, you can click the Book Links button and Pima County Public Library will be in that list!

Sadly, neither of these are currently available on mobile devices, though you can use the desktop version of Goodreads to connect via the Book Link. You’ve gotta start somewhere, right?